this means a'-ble to car'-ry home some water to her sick mother, who was so much re-vived' by it that she soon grew well and strong.

When the rooks, and crows, and ravens, heard what a good daugh'-ter Jet had been, and how clev'-er she was, they built her a fine large nest, and made her queen o'-ver the whole rook'-er-y.

EXERCISES.-Where did the old rooks build their nest? What were the names of their three young ones? What kind of birds were Jack and Broadbill? What did the old rooks one day say to their young ones? What did Jet say? What did Jack and Broadbill do? With whom did Jack quarrel? What did Jet say to them? What did Broadbill do to Jack? How did Broadbill behave for some time after this disaster? What were some other young crows doing? What did Broadbill say to Jet? What answer did Jet give? What did Broadbill do? What happened to him? What did Jet then do? What happened to Jet's mother? What did she one day say to Jet? What did Jet do? On what did she rest? What did she see there? How did she get the water out of the pitcher? How did the rooks, crows, and ravens reward her ?

EXCEPTIONS.

Ef'-forts cour-age re-moved' prove hazel gov'erned val'-iant Mr. com-mand' hun'-gry flour-ished con'-quer-or hon'-ours ah be-sought' suit hand'-some de-sign' fa-tigued' scheme bruised wolf lon'-ger seize floor com'-bat.

THE GRATEFUL CRANE.

A poor crane was once caught in a net, from which she could by no ef'-forts e-scape'. Alas! said she, in a tone of deep dis-tress', what will be-come' of me, if I can'-not break a pas'-sage through this net, I shall ei'-ther fall a prey to the

fow-ler, or die of hun'-ger. My death, too, will cause that of all my young ones, who must per-ish un-less' I re-turn' to feed and warm them. A dog in the next field, hear-ing her com-plaints', jumped o'-ver the fence, and, bid'-ding her be of good cour'age, tore the net in pie'-ces with his teeth, and said, re-turn', my friend, to your young ones, who are, no doubt, in-tent'-ly look'-ing out for you. The grate'ful crane thanked the dog a thou'-sand times. In sa'-ving my life, said she, you have al'-so saved those of my help'-less fam'-i-ly. I shall nev'-er for-get' your kind'-ness as long as I live.

The strong should al'-ways be read'-y to help the weak; we ought to do as we would be done by; and I may one day or oth'-er be glad of some friend to as-sist me, re-plied' the dog. They thon parted: the dog re-turned' to watch his mas'-ter's sheep; and the hap'-py crane to her nest of young ones. It chanced some time af'-ter this that the crane, on her re-turn' to her nest, stopped to drink a lit'-tle water from a clear stream which flowed near the foot of a steep rock; but she had hard'-ly be-gun' to drink when she was star'-tled by a moan'-ing sound near her, as if made by some an'-i-mal in great pain.

Call'-ing to mind the ad-vice' of the dog, to as-sist the dis-tressed', she left the water, and, look'-ing round, she be-held' stretched on the ground at the foot of the rock, and al'-most at the point of death,

the ver'-y dog that had for'-mer-ly saved her life. She flew to him with all the haste she could; and asked, in what way she could serve him and what was his ail'-ment? The dog with much dif'-fi-cul-ty told her, that, in eat'-ing his din'-ner, a bone had got a-cross his throat; and he should be choked, un-less' it was speed'-i-ly re-moved. If that is all, said the crane, with a joy'-ful air, I can soon put an end to your dis-tress', if you will but per-mit' me to pull the bone out. The dog glad'-ly con-sent'-ed; and the crane put-ting her long bill into the dog's throat, plucked up the bone that had given him so much un-ea'-și-ness, and which, but for her time'-ly help, must have caused his death. Thus the dog was re-ward'-ed for hav'-ing done a good ac'-tion, and the crane was hap'-py in hav'-ing had it in her pow'-er to prove her grat'-i-tude, and make a re-turn' for the ser'-vice which had been done to her when she was in dis-tress' and stood in need of as-sis'-tance.

EXERCISES.-In what was the crane caught? What did she say? Who heard her complaints? How did the dog relieve her? What did the crane then say to the dog? What was his reply? Where did the crane stop to drink some time after this? By what was she startled ? What did she see at the foot of the rock? What was the dog's ailment ? How did the crane put an end to his distress? Was the crane happy in having had it in her power to prove her gratitude?

THE KING OF THE FEN.

I will be king of the fen, said Croak'-er the frog, leap'-ing out of the brook on to the dry land. You king, indeed! said Sly'-boots, a fine fat field'-mouse,

with a long tail and bright eyes, jump'-ing out of his hole at the foot of a hazel bush which grew near. I am lar-ger than you, and I will be king, and the frogs shall be my sub'-jects and cut rush'-es, and bring me dried moss to line my nest. And Sly'boots looked big, and strut'-ted a-bout', and gave him-self' a great man'-y airs. I will never con-sent' to be gov'-erned by a mouse, re-plied' the frog with a diş-dain'-ful air; fine'-ly king Sly'-boots would sound! Quite as well as king Croak'-er! re-tort'-ed the mouse. Then the frog flew in'-to a great passi'on, and hopped so high, and croaked so loud, that the mouse crept a lit'-tle fur'-ther from him; for frogs, like chil'-dren, look ver'-y ug'-ly when they are out of tem'-per: and Sly'-boots did not much like the i-de-a of be'-ing touched by his cold paws; and he said to him-self', in spite of this frog look'ing so fierce and speak'-ing so loud, I should not won'-der if he was a cow'-ard at heart. So he turned to the frog and said, as we both wish to be king of the fen, I know of no way of end'-ing the dis-pute' but by sin'-gle com'-bat; and the one that wins the bat'-tle shall be king o'-ver the oth'-er. Then, said the frog, I have no ob-jec'-tion to what you pro-pose', and we will each bring a friend to see fair play. To-mor'-row at twelve o'clock I shall be read'-y to take the field; and if you fail to meet me here, I shall be king of the fen, and the mice shall be my ser-vants: for Croak'-er thought Sly'-boots was

bra'-ver in word than in deed, as cow'-ards are often the fore-most to talk of fight-ing.

Then the frog re-tired' among the rush'-es, and the mouse ran home to his hole un'-der the nut tree These two ri'-vals a-woke next mor'-ning by break of day, to pre-pare' for the com'-bat, which was to take place at noon. The frog was very much a-fraid' of Slyboots' sharp teeth and claws; so he fell to work and made him-self' a shield from the bark of an old wil'-low tree; and then he plucked a long rush for a spear. Now, said he, I am well armed: I have a shield to de-fend' my-self', and a spear to at-tack' the en'-e-my with: if I had but a val'-iant friend to be my second in the fight, I should do very well.

I will be your sec ́-ond, said a great pike rais'-ing his head a-bove' the water: and I will lie close to the bank, among these rush'-es; and if you lose or break your spear come to me and I will pro-cure' you an-oth'-er. The frog was well pleased at this of'fer. I shall beat Sly'-boots in a little time, said he, with such weapons, and so good a friend as the pike to stand by and help me. Slyboots, in the mean time, was not i'-dle; he sharpened his teeth and his claws, and chose a tight twig from the hazel bush, and said, I only want now a friend to be my sec'-ond and see fair play. A great kite who was hov'-er-ing near, said, Mr Slyboots you may command' my ser'-vi-ces at any hour you please to name;